WARREN Hegg believes Lancashire have found the key to unlock the Old Trafford club's championship potential.

"We have genuine talent, but there again we've had that before with the great teams we had here during the 1990s," said the Lancashire skipper. "But now we've got that something extra - belief. And that's vital.

"I've thought back to earlier times and wondered, why oh why, a team like the one we had could never win the title. So many great players. And the only reason I can come up with was that we didn't quite have the necessary belief.

"It's not that we didn't try, because we did. For all the one-day successes we had, the championship was always the Holy Grail and it always will be for a Lancashire team. Four day cricket is the priority in English cricket.

"But somehow, as a team, that true belief that you can win it wasn't quite there. That's the only explanation I can come up with. If we could have our time again, knowing what we do now, I'm sure it would be different."

Hegg figured in two magnificent Red Rose sides. They finished as runners-up several times, twice with late, late spurts notably under the captaincy of David Hughes and Wasim Akram, but rarely looked likely to end the title famine dating back to 1934.

And that was despite a dressing- room packed with international stars who dominated one-day cricket for a decade.

Now, with a rebuilt team and a morale-boosting start to the season, Hegg feels Lancashire's time is approaching.

"I'm not making predictions for this year, but I know this side has the talent and the belief to go a long way," he said. "The new players, those like Stuart Law and Alec Swann who came in last season and Mal Loye and Iain Sutcliffe who joined us in the winter, have helped to give us a new hunger.

"We've even dropped Andy Flintoff to No 6 in the batting order and he has responded with some superb performances.

"Some fans would have raised their eyebrows at a class player going in that low, but there were no complaints from Freddie - he never whinges about anything anyway - and it has worked perfectly.

"Freddie has been magnificent. Obviously on the field, but also in the dressing-room, where he is the focal point of all the micky-taking and fun. But when it's necessary for him to be serious, he is. He is utterly dedicated."

Hegg is demanding one additional quality this summer. ... consistency.

"We have been short of that in recent years but the way we have played so far suggests we are getting it right."

They also need luck and did not get the rub of the green against Surray at The Oval. And their current clash with Notts has been wrecked by the weather, with yesterday wiped out.

Lancashire made 354 in their first innings, with Nottinghamshire on 113-3 in reply.